Why Your Hair Is Suddenly Shedding (And What To Do About It)

Have you noticed more hair in your shower lately?

More in your brush. On your clothes. On the bathroom floor.

And then that quiet panic starts.

What is happening to me?
Am I going bald?

As a hair colourist and stylist of over twenty years, this is one of the most common concerns I see in my chair, especially after a woman has moved through a stressful season of life.

So let’s ground this properly.

Your hair grows in cycles. Most of your hair is in a growth phase at any given time. A smaller percentage, usually around ten to fifteen percent, is resting and preparing to shed. That shedding is completely normal. It’s necessary. It makes space for new growth.

Telogen effluvium happens when a larger percentage of your hair is pushed into that resting phase at once. Then, usually two to three months later, those hairs shed together.

Instead of losing fifty to one hundred hairs per day, you might lose one hundred and fifty or two hundred. Sometimes more.

It feels dramatic.

But in most cases, the follicle is not dead. It’s resting.

That distinction matters.

Almost always, telogen effluvium is triggered by stress. Not just emotional stress, but physical and hormonal stress as well. I see it after divorce, relationship breakdown, moving house, illness, surgery, childbirth, menopause, rapid weight loss, undereating, overtraining, sleep deprivation, chronic anxiety, and major life transitions. The body experiences something destabilising, and then a few months later the shedding begins.

Because of that delay, most women don’t connect the dots. But when you’ve watched this pattern unfold in hundreds of women over decades, it becomes unmistakable.

The body always tells the truth eventually.

Postpartum shedding is one of the clearest examples. During pregnancy, many women notice their hair feels thicker and fuller because more hair stays in the growth phase. After birth, hormones shift dramatically and everything that didn’t shed during pregnancy sheds at once. It can feel frightening. But it is cyclical.

Menopause can create similar shifts in density and shedding patterns. Hormones matter far more than most people realise.

In most cases, telogen effluvium is not permanent baldness. It is not follicle death. It is not caused by one bad colour appointment. It is not usually your shampoo.

That said, if shedding is severe, patchy, lasting longer than six to nine months, or accompanied by scalp pain or inflammation, please see your GP or a trichologist. It is worth checking iron levels, thyroid function, vitamin D and B12 to rule out underlying causes.

Typically, the pattern looks like this. The trigger happens. A couple of months later the shedding increases. It may last several months. Then gradually it slows, and regrowth begins. You might notice baby hairs around your hairline or short regrowth throughout the scalp.

Hair cycles are slow. You cannot rush them. But you can support them.

When a client comes to me in this phase, the first thing I say is do not panic. Chronic stress can prolong shedding. If possible, reduce inflammation and cortisol levels. Eat enough. Hair is not essential for survival, and your body will sacrifice it first if it feels under threat. Hydrate properly. Ease off extreme exercise while your system recalibrates. Sleep. Avoid constantly switching products in a frantic attempt to fix it. Use gentle, low irritation scalp care. And get blood work done if you’re unsure.

Serene Haircare is not a hair loss treatment. It is not a miracle regrowth product. It is a foundation. Botanical based, low irritation, vegan friendly and made locally in Australia. When your scalp is stressed, the last thing it needs is harsh stripping formulas or aggressive stimulation. Recovery requires calm. Our formulas are designed to get out of the way and support the scalp environment while your body does the deeper repair work. If the internal stress remains high, no product can override that.

And this is the deeper layer.

Hair is rarely just hair.

If you are running on four coffees a day, sleeping five hours a night, undereating, overtraining, or constantly emotionally dysregulated, your body knows. Sometimes your hair shows it first.

This is one of the reasons I wrote Crown Work. Because hair reflects what’s happening beneath it. In the nervous system. In the hormones. In the story of your life.

Telogen effluvium isn’t just about shedding. It’s about recovery. And recovery requires calm, nourishment and consistency.

If this is happening to you, you are not imagining it. You did not ruin your hair. Your body went through something.

Support yourself. Support your scalp. Stay consistent. Get the help you need from your GP if necessary.

Have a good week. 💛